Pakistan Cricket Board's 'fool proof' security tweet after NZ snub sparks troll fest

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was once again embarrassed after New Zealand Cricket hastily backed out of a bilateral series minutes before the first ODI match was scheduled to begin on Friday. As if that wasn't enough, the PCB was trolled by netizens for claiming the security arrangements were "fool proof." Yes, the social media team misspelt foolproof to add salt to the wounds of the country's apex cricketing body. Social media were quick to notice the gaffe as they immediately took to the comment section to mock PCB for frequently misspelling terms and failing to learn from its mistakes. 

Netizens had earlier mocked the PCB and its players for saying that Pakistan is a "safe" location for international cricket. Netizens reminded the PCB and its players of how their government developed a connection with the Taliban despite facing internal security concerns from a homegrown version of the terror group that strikes its armed forces and civilians on a regular basis. Netizens also pointed out that it was Pakistan that gave Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden a safe haven for several years before the US forces finally eliminated him in 2011. 

Here's how social media users mocked PCB for misspelling foolproof in their official statement on Twitter. Social media users pointed out to the PCB media manager that there is a difference between the word 'foolproof' and 'fool proof'. Even a Pakistani fan jumped in the comment section to slam the PCB for not writing the word correctly in their statement.

Why was the series cancelled?

After the cancellation of the series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a statement where it said that New Zealand has unilaterally decided to cancel the series due to security concerns. The PCB said that Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan called his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern to assure the safety of the Kiwi cricketers and support staff, but due to the escalating level of threats assessed by the NZC security on the ground, the board decided to pull out of the series. The PCB further added that it is still willing to continue the scheduled matches against New Zealand. 

The New Zealand Cricket, however, confirmed that arrangements have already been made to bring all its players back home. New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said that the safety of players is paramount and the only responsible option was to abandon the series. "Understand this will be a blow for the PCB, who have been wonderful hosts, but player safety is paramount and we believe this is the only responsible option," White said in a statement. Pakistan and New Zealand were slated to play a three-match ODI series followed by a five-match T20I series. 

Image: AP